1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an openable motor vehicle roof with at least one cover which selectively closes the roof opening by means of a raising and displacement mechanism (crank path, crank pin, drive carriage) and at least partially clears it by raising its lower edge or by displacement along one guide rail, with a locking element which locks the element connected to it in the closed position or the raised position with the guide rail and which is located on the locking lever which is pivotally located on the component which is connected to the cover.
2. Description of the Related Art
One such motor vehicle roof is generally known, see published German Patent Application DE 44 05 583 A1. This motor vehicle roof is made as a lifting and sliding roof which can be raised with its rear edge over the fixed motor vehicle roof and can be pushed to the rear. To actuate a locking element there is a lever which is additionally coupled to the carriage for the raising and displacement motion and which has on its bottom a catch projection for fitting into the recess of the guide rail and is raised by means of a cam slot when the carriage is displaced by a guide pin located on the carriage. The mechanism shown is not suited for actuating a sliding and lifting roof in which the cover is lowered with its rear edge and is pushed to the rear to under the fixed motor vehicle roof. Furthermore, an additional crank for actuating the locking element also means additional cost.
In the motor vehicle roof known from published German Patent Application DE 34 44 522 A1, there is a catch hook which is elastically preloaded in the engagement position with the guide rail on the front sliding block of a sliding and lifting roof mechanism which, when the cover is lowered before sliding under the solid motor vehicle roof, is disengaged from the cover or the part which is connected to it. In one such catch hook, complex calibration relative to the cover or the part connected to it is necessary to ensure perfect operation.
The object of the invention is to devise an openable motor vehicle roof in which simple, reliable and low-wear locking and unlocking of the displacement mechanism is enabled.
Reliable sustained forcing of the locking element is achieved by the arrangement of the locking element on a locking lever which is pivotally connected to the cover or a component connected to it, such as a cover carrier. An additional crank/guide pin arrangement for actuating the locking lever is not necessary, as in the initially mentioned German Patent Application DE 44 05 583 A1. Moreover, the tolerances to be observed are reduced by the direct coupling of the locking lever to the cover or a component (cover carrier) connected to it.
Here, the locking lever is advantageously pre-tensioned in the conventional manner in the direction to the engagement position of the locking element, by which especially when driving on uneven ground, on the one hand, reliable engagement of the locking element is ensured, and on the other, rattling noise is prevented.
The driver means is preferably formed by a cam slot which is bent downward and which is opened to the front.
The raising and displacement mechanism preferably has a guide pin which is supported in the drive carriage in the conventional manner.
An arrangement is especially preferred in which the guide pin in interaction with a guide path which is connected to the cover controls both the movements of the cover and also the movements of the locking lever.
According to one alternative embodiment, it is provided that, on the raising and displacement mechanism, preferably on its drive carriage, there is an additional control journal for actuating the locking lever. By means of such an additional control journal located underneath the actual crank pin, the structural height of the mechanism can be reduced.
In the conventional manner, the guide rail preferably has a recess into which the locking element fits from overhead. Preferably, this recess is adjoined to the rear by an ascending ramp for guiding the locking element. The ramp facilitates the locking element""s fitting clearly into the closed position when the cover is pushed back.
The locking lever in the displacement direction of the cover extends viewed over the entire path of the raising and displacement mechanism which is required for producing the pivoting motions of the cover. This means that almost the entire length of the guide path responsible for the pivoting movements of the cover is covered by the locking lever.
In order to create an especially favorable application of force for locking and unlocking, it is preferably provided that the locking element in the closed position of the cover is located roughly vertically under the engagement position of the raising and displacement mechanism, i.e. roughly underneath the crank pin.
Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.